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How To Finish Pork Chops in the Oven

By: Author William Thomas

William Thomas

Editor-in-Chief & Pitmaster

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.
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How To Finish Pork Chops in the Oven

Cooking can take place in many forms. This includes baking, grilling, and smoking. When you are smoking food, what you are doing is cooking it over an open flame.

The biggest reason for doing this is because the smoke from the fire and whatever flavor from the wood you use infuses itself into the meat.

One type of meat people like to smoke is pork chops, and if you have ever wondered if you could finish it in the oven, well, then this is the article for you.

In this article, we will go into the what, the why, and the how. By the end, you will know exactly how to finish pork chops in the oven after smoking them.

What Are Pork Chops?

Let’s first address what exactly pork chops refer to. This expensive part of the pig refers to meat that comes from the loin.

The loin is from the hip to the shoulder. By cutting into this place, this is where we get pork chops.

There are five different chops you can get from the butcher or deli. This includes:

  • Shoulder chop, which comes from the shoulder. It has a lot of fat and flavor.
  • Rib chop is from the rib near the loin. It is very tender with a mild flavor.
  • Loin chop comes from the area near the hop and loin. It is on the lean side.
  • Boneless chop, which comes from the head of the loin, does not have a lot of fat and as bones as the name would imply.
  • Sirloin chop comes from the hip area, and despite having lots of flavors, it is very tough.

Let us get to the main crux of the article, where we tell you if you can finish pork chops in the oven!

Can You Finish the Pork Chops in the Oven?

The answer is simple. Yes, you can finish pork chops in the oven after grilling or smoking them. It includes the reasons below.

  • It frees up room on your smoker or grill. If you are making a lot of food for a party, event, etc., you do not want to keep your guests waiting. Putting them in the oven makes sure your grill is free.
  • Sometimes, the smoker might not be getting your food as hot as they want it. You can use the oven to get your pork nice and hot. One reason this is happening is it could be on the fritz, or there could be something wrong with it.
  • When you are grilling or smoking, you are going to have to be spending a lot of time outside. If there be some weather issues, like rain or something, it helps if you can pop it in the oven at any moment. Never know what the weather has in store for you.

How To Finish Pork Chops in the Oven

Now it’s time to learn just how you can finish pork chops up in the oven. You do this once you have been smoking the meat over some wood for some time.

Follow the steps listed below:

  • Start preheating the oven before you take the pork chops off the smoker. Best to preheat at about 350 Fahrenheit.
  • Grab a pan and pour some tablespoons of oil onto it. You can fry the pork chops in the pan and then put the pan in the oven.
  • Cook for about twenty minutes. Once the meat reaches a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, it is ready.

That’s all there is to it!

Other Methods

There are other methods to finish your pork chops. If you do not want to finish it in the oven, you can also do it on the stovetop and the grill. Of course, if you prefer the oven method, then just stop here and skip to the end of the article. No harm in doing that.

Trust us, we do not mind!

Stovetop

To start cooking it on the stovetop, follow these steps:

  • First, heat some oil in a large cooking pan on the stovetop.
  • You want to take the smoked pork chops and then cook them for 2 minutes on each side or until they are significantly browned.
  • Lower the heat and cook the pork chops again for 1 minute. The inside temperature needs to read 145 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer. If it does not read that, cook them for another minute, and check again. Keep going until it reads 145.
  • The last and final part is to put the pork chops on the plate and serve it with whatever sides or toppings you prefer.

Out of the three methods on this list, this one is probably the quickest.

Grill

The final way to finish cooking smoked pork chops is by cooking them on the grill. To do this, complete the following steps:

  • Turn the grill to medium-high heat. You then have to brush the grates of the grill with veggie oil or olive oil. This way, the meat won’t stick to it when you turn it up or remove it from the heat.
  • You grill the pork chops for 2 minutes before rotating them. Grill for another 2 minutes and flip. Again, you have to grill for another 2 minutes.
  • Check the temperature. It should read 145. If it doesn’t, then grill it for another minute. Rinse and repeat until 145 is the final temperature.
  • Put that yummy pork chop on a plate with whatever side and toppings you like, and serve it!

Almost as quickly as finishing it on the stovetop.

Final Thoughts

And that’s a wrap barbeque lover out there. You discovered not only what a pork chop is and why it’s good to finish it in the oven but also how to do this process.

If you don’t want to finish it in the oven, we also gave you the option of finishing it on the stovetop or the grill.

It just depends on your preference!

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